Time for some good news!
As a reporter for the RV industry it is my job to help bring relevant news to our readers.
Sadly, in the last two weeks we have seen an abundance of news stories about RV manufacturers filing bankruptcy, numerous RV dealer thefts and plant closings.
I am here to say that this industry needs some good news, and fast.
So, if your dealership, plant, company or firm has any positive news stories I encourage you to send those to RV Trade Digest for publication consideration.
If you would like to share some encouraging comments or stories please feel free to contact any of the RV Trade Digest staff members. Our contact is on www.rvtradedigest.com
If you wish to submit a press release to the editorial staff please e-mail materials to editor@rvtradedigest.com.
RV Trade Digest will continue to report all RV related news (both good and bad).
April 2nd, 2009 at 12:31 pm
We have had one of our best years in sales. We are family owned and operated beating out some of the biggest RV dealers in Indiana. It just goes to show that it’s not how big you are but How you treat your customers. I know that a lot of business are struggling, just hang in there! The economy has got to get better, hopefully soon! Visit http://www.evansrvsales.com to shop with one of the best little dealers in Indiana.
March 18th, 2009 at 3:48 pm
We came out of a dreadful winter only to have the best February we have EVER had (40 years at it)!! While margins are very, very slim (thanks to the MI and OH eBay whores), it generated much needed cash flow, paid some bills and dramatically lowered our inventory levels.
March is ok, but things definitely seem brighter than they did just 45 days ago!!
March 18th, 2009 at 2:12 pm
My statement wasn’t meant to be negative . I was just ventng I guess .When you hear that a lot of the Big rv dealers that just walked away & left the rest of us to pick up the mess(higher interest etc..) A lot of them didn’t have to play by the rules because they were so big .Like 5 year old “new” units on their lots with no curtailments payed. The rules should be the same for all. Then the one with the knowhow will prosper & grow .Isn’t that what this nation was founded on? Anyways back to the good news Jan & Feb best start for the year we have ever had in our nearly 10 years in business !! Let’s see if we can get the press to talk about some good news & stop the fear out there.
March 18th, 2009 at 1:36 pm
Chris
I guess you beat the rest of us to the punch in buying Chinese. Let me first say that I don’t have all the answers - not even the answers to the following:
Where does the following come from?
Aluminum for side wall construction - [frame and sheet]
Fiberglass caps and sides
Frames and components
A/C’s
Furnaces
Water pumps
Refrigerators
Stoves and ovens
L.P. components - tanks, piping etc.
Plumbing and faucets
Generators
Wire and switches
Axles
Awnings
Windows and doors
Cabinets
Insulation
Interior paneling
Fabric and foam
I know that some goods and labor come from outside the country but my statement was that MOST of what we sell comes from here and I stand by that and that we provide jobs for Americans. Your negative spin on one of the ten items I listed kinda illustrates what we are up against. If your kind of thinking works for you, well and good. This article was for POSITIVE/GOOD news.
March 18th, 2009 at 1:25 pm
3 of our 5 winter RV shows were UP in attendance (and the other two were only slightly off). This is very encouraging as the interest in RVs is still real high in spite of everything else going on. When this turns, I think the RV industry will be one of the first to turn the corner.
March 18th, 2009 at 12:23 pm
Is Mike Martinkus serious….what we sell is not made outside the U.S.? There is plenty, make that PLENTY, of what goes into coaches today from Low Cost Countires. You can’t hardly get an OEM to even look at something that costs more than what they pay for it today….
March 17th, 2009 at 9:21 am
I agree there are a LOT of positives still out there. One being some of these TOO big for their britches dealers with inflated prices to cover their inflated bottom line (sounds kind of like the banking industry huh?) are going out of business. The smaller dealer who used common sense & didn’t over spend their abilty to earn will prosper & come out of this stronger than ever . Don’t underestmate the little guys.
March 16th, 2009 at 6:17 pm
I agree that we need some positive news.
Yes there are still a lot of customers out there and it is a little work to find them and attract them to the dealership.
We have just started a new company and have a product that we think can help all the dealers attract more customers.
More and more people are shopping online and we have a product that will enable the dealers sales staff to monitor their web site and interact live with the customer while they are looking at the site, just as they could do if they walked into the showroom.
Check it out at http://www.ka-ron.com under the dealer tab.
March 16th, 2009 at 5:00 pm
Okay - some positives, not all of which should be publicized.
1.There is not as much competition for each of us now as there was.
2.Advertising is cheaper now than in recent years.
3.Fewer deliveries means we can concentrate more of our efforts in service on customer pay work which is more lucrative.
4.After the recovery there will be less interest from the “Bottom Line Bud’s” in jumping in the business.
5.Future production should be higher priced than the inventory we currently have in stock.
6.Good talent is available if you need to upgrade in some area’s.
7.We offer a product that can be enjoyed while it declines in value - unlike a 401k.
8.Now is a great time to buy if you believe that interest rates are going to climb as a result of the borrowed stimulus money.
9.Very little of what we sell is made outside the USA - we help provide jobs to Americans.
10.Fuel is available and more reasonably priced for Americans than most other developed countries.
It took all of about 15 minutes to come up with these 10 items including the time it took to insert my tongue into my cheek, and I’m not very smart. I’m sure that all the brain power floating around out there can do better than this without much effort. The more we can come up with here the better off we all are.
I agree with Jackie on the need for this discussion and Scantland on his thoughts. We all need to put a positive spin on our discussions with customers starting right after “hello”. When they ask how business is, if we duck our heads and launch into a dismal dissertation on how bad business is, we will not only scare them out but everybody they go out and talk to will get an even more degraded version from them as to how dire are our straights.
This reminds me of a story I once heard about a young Priest who went to his Monsignor and asked if it would be okay if he SMOKED while he PRAYED. The Monsignor said no, that would be disrespectful. Awhile later a different young Priest went to the same Monsignor and asked if it would be alright if he PRAYED while he SMOKED. The Monsignor assured him that that would perfectly acceptable.
Sometimes it’s not so much what you say as how you say it. Our customers are not going to condemn us if some of our attempts at positive spin are feeble. They’ll probably just grin inwardly and hope we are successful.
March 16th, 2009 at 1:09 pm
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March 16th, 2009 at 12:42 pm
Jackie, I whole-heartily agree. While the economy is bad and the job loss is discouraging. It is not the only thing happening in the RV industry and our country. I have stopped asking our customers “how their business is doing” and started asking them to tell me about new products or if they have any new “deals” going. We constantly hear negative stories on the television and in the newspapers. While I do not beleive that we can talk about happy thoughts and the economy just all of a sudden “get better”, I do beleive that a general feeling of stability helps all of our comfort levels. We sell into other areas than RV (which most of which are also struggling), but we do have some RV customers that are still buying products. There are some units and parts being sold. The challenge is to “break out of the mold” and go find the business and stay persistant. I think that there is going to be more “fallout” of companies and friends that do not make it through the other side of this economic times we are in. However, I also beleive that there will be companies that make it and are better off because of the changes that had to be made just to stay in business. I commend you on your request. I look forward to the positive responses that you receive and I will forward those on to anyone and everyone in our company. We all need as much positive news as we can get and pass around.
Michael Scantland
Marketing Manager
Phoenix USA, Inc.